Ron Rice, other Volusia Trump backers set sights on November

Friday

ORMOND BEACH — Suntan lotion magnate Ron Rice was among those thrilled this week to see Donald Trump's ascendancy from leading Republican contender to presumptive nominee.

The two are old friends, conjoined by a passion for pageant models, parties and, now, politics.

"He'd be great for the entire country," Rice said, pointing to a Trump hat with the campaign slogan, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.

"He's gonna be our next president," he added with the certainty that comes with a candidate who bolted to the top of a high heap of hopefuls — 17 in all — then countered punch after punch for 10 months until he was the last man standing.

It leaves supporters saying: What's one more?

As Democrats continue deliberating between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, some Republicans have started warming to Trump, although it was clear this week from polls and the space in between lines he has much more work to do.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday he wasn't ready to endorse, suggesting the nominee must do more to unify Republicans first.

And while those who love Trump love him passionately, the billionaire reality-TV star businessman also carries historically high disapproval ratings. The website fivethirtyeight.com compiled "strongly unfavorable" ratings for presidential nominees dating to 1980 and Trump's 53 percent topped all others by 20 points, with one exception: Hillary Clinton, whose dislike rating is 37 percent.

It being May, it's way too soon to guess whether either of those two candidates can move the numbers more to their favor. More critical will be which candidate — and political party — can mobilize voters on Nov. 8.

CALLS FOR UNITY

While the G.O.P. is not rallying in full support of Trump-for-president, it's more unified in a sentiment stuck to Rice's door: STOP HILLARY.

That's how a statement from U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis reads.

"Electing Hillary Clinton will continue America's journey down the wrong track," said DeSantis, who represents Flagler and most of Volusia County in Congress.

His only mention of Trump: "It is now clear that Donald Trump will accumulate the delegates necessary to be nominated by the Republican Party. If we want to defeat Hillary Clinton and have a chance to change the trajectory of our country, we need to unite behind the Republican ticket this November."

Blaise Ingoglia, chairman of the Florida Republican Party, used an exclamation point.

"With Donald Trump's victory last night, we have our presumptive nominee for president! America cannot afford a Hillary Clinton presidency — it's time for us to unite and focus on beating her in November," he wrote.

"Everybody's gotta come together and use the #NeverHillary," he said. "When it comes to Hillary, it's all-out war."

Trump is the most willing of the Republicans "to take it to Hillary 24-7," Ledbetter said.

Sanders won Indiana this week, but Clinton maintains a 55-45 margin lead in delegates, leaving Democrats very much still in a primary fight.

"I don't know if we're at that point yet, to declare war on Trump," said Leslie Pearce, chairwoman of the Volusia Democratic Party.

Some within the Republican Party, though, remain solidly #NeverTrump.

Kris Cruz, a social-media manager and Internet radio producer from Deltona, considers himself more a libertarian than a conservative, but he switched to the Republican Party to vote for Ted Cruz in March. He's asked himself what lies ahead.

"When it comes to Hillary and Trump, can I vote for the lesser of two evils?" said Cruz, also an Air Force veteran. "I can't vote for either ... there's no way I could pull the trigger for either."

He's instead vetting Austin Peterson, a libertarian candidate.

LOCKING DOWN LOYALTY

Before Trump's March 5 campaign appearance at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, he met with his old friend Rice, who started Hawaiian Tropic in 1969. Rice grew the suntan lotion company, using bikini competitions to brand it.

Rice, who sold the company in 2007 for $108 million, said he's been friends with Donald Trump for about 30 years.

They attended parties at each others' Florida estates, Trump's at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach County, and Rice's beachfront spread in Ormond Beach. Rice said Trump probably attended 10 of his soirees over the years, including one also featuring Benny Hill, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Julio Iglesias, Sam Kinison and Rodney Dangerfield.

One of those parties turned out to be momentous for The Donald, Rice recalled.

"I introduced him to his second wife," Rice said of Marla Maples.

Even though Trump had flirted with running for president for decades, Rice didn't think he would. Now that he is, Rice said he's convinced Trump will be a good one and doesn't mind sharing that with the world.

Rice has a half-dozen TRUMP signs along his properties on Ocean Shore Boulevard. These are a couple of steps beyond yard signs. They're posted in concrete blocks that are also chained to trees.

He said he's not sure if the culprits are people who simply want their own Trump sign or those who oppose him.

Trump generates that kind of polarization.

Pearce, the local Democratic chair, said her Republican friends were largely supporters of Jeb Bush and have been shocked that "the only grown-up in the room" dropped out before the Florida primary in March.

"I think it's sad that the Republicans failed to get a candidate that has good judgment or the temperament to be president," she said. "Donald Trump doesn't have that."

But Robyn Harrington Schmidt, a certified ophthalmic technician from DeLand, said she views Trump as a transformational figure.

"This is actually the metamorphosis of the Republican Party. It really is," said Schmidt, a longtime DeLand resident. "To say people aren't going to show up to the polls to vote for him ... they have been showing up. We're just sick of the Paul Ryans and Ted Cruzes and the Bushes that say they're for us but have sat back for the past eight years and haven't done anything."

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